Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a good companion canine. It was named after a funny character in the book Guy Mannering written in 1814 by Sir Walter Scott. The character's name? Dandie Dinmont. Queen Victoria had a Dandie Dinmont Terrier. It was once popular with gypsies and the highly wealthy. It was originally bred to go to ground, and so it possesses a long body. It is also low to the ground. It has an easy-to-identify large head with a silky topknot. Its eyes are dark and have a soft and wise expression. For a small dog, it has powerful teeth, especially his canines, which are bigger than that of the average small dog. They give the Dandies to hone great holding and punishing power with its teeth. It comes in two colors- pepper and mustard. According to the AKC, the pepper color ranges from dark-bluish-black to a light, silvery grey. Mustard varies from a reddish-brown to a pale fawn color. Its overall appearance makes it look like a great dog.

It was first recorded as a distinct type of breed at about 1700. It was bred from selected specimens of the rough native terrier of the border country between Scotland and England. It was distinguished by its skill in hunting otters and badgers. Since the entire original purpose of the Dandie Dinmont is hardly needed at all today, so it is more of a companion and house dog.

An independent, stubborn, and determined breed of great intelligence, they are a challenge to train. It may not be the best for first-time dog owners, but some can cope. A loophole is to start training a Dandie Dinmont Terrier at an early age. It can be a good family dog and devotes himself to his family. It's very sociable, so as long as it's introduced to other pets and family members at a young age, it is a family-friendly pooch. Being a long and lowly-set breed, it is susceptible to some intervertebral disc problems. To lower the risk of this happening, it's best to make sure it avoids stair climbing and jumping on and off furniture. If you want it upstairs, downstairs, or on the couch, pick it up yourself and place on the couch or basement or upstairs. Its other health problems include hip dysplasia, kneecap luxation, torn ligaments, arthritis, and glycoma. As far as grooming goes, you're in for a lot of work or a pricy grooming bill. Because it never sheds, its hair just keeps getting longer and longer. As a puppy, it will need combed daily to avoid the coat from matting. Adults need to be hand-stripped, preferably by an expert, 2-3 times a year. Let the coat mat to much, and it'll be required to be hand stripped close to the skin. It'll take months for the beautiful Dandie Dinmont coat to grow back. Its feet also need regular trimming. The Dandie is ideal in most environments, but needs about twenty minutes of exercise daily. Since it was originally bred as a hunting dog, it is best to make sure the breed is supervised and secured in a fenced in area, since it might run after a squirrel or other small animals.

Though stubborn, it is a magnificent dog breed that gets along well with the people it knows, and has a serious side in its personality as well as a playful one. If you're looking for a dog thats brilliant, intelligent, and fun, and as long as you don't mind putting in effort grooming and training this breed, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier could just be the right breed for you.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Brussels Griffon- a cute pooch known to have a human-like expression. One was featured in a 1997 hit, "As Good As It Gets". It is intelligent and sensitive, and is self-conscious around strangers. It has an adorable flat face. There are two coat types. There's the rough coat, which is wiry and dense. According to the AKC the hardy and wiry the coat is, the better. The second is the smooth coat, which is straight, short and glossy, with no trace of wiry hair. The smooth-coated Brussels Griffon are sometimes called "Brabancons". Their bodies are square-shaped and their tails are set and held high. Their whole structures make for a lovable dog with a tail facing up as if showing pride, a cute and convincing flat face and lovely coats.

The breed's origins are traced back to Belgium in the 19th century. Belgian coachmen kept small, wire-coated terrier-like dogs in their stables as ratters. The dogs developed from the Affenpinscher and general street dogs. Other breeds have apparently been used in the mix, such as the Pug, King Charles Spaniel, and the Ruby Spaniel. This resulted in two different varieties of coats. The smooth and the rough coats. The smooth ones were named Brabancons. This term honored the Belgian national anthem, "La Brabonconne". These eventually became the Brussels Griffon breed. Today, the breed doesn't have much use as a ratter. Instead, they make spectacular companion dogs.

Though it is somewhat healthy, it is advised that you watch out for hereditary eye defects, patella luxation, and hip dysplasia. Intelligent and naughty, as well as curious, training isn't too hard, but try to start at an early age. Let the breed know who strangers are and who aren't strangers, as the breed is sensitive around them. It is a playful and enjoyable breed. It enjoys playing and like to have walks on a leash. Its small size makes it suitable for apartment-living, though they still need some exercise and daily walks. Whether the coat is rough or smooth, the coats need brushing twice a week and shaping every three months. If the dog is going to be shown, hand stripping is essential for the rough coat. The smooth coat is easier to maintain, but during shedding season, regular brushing and baths are required. It gets along well with children, and therefore, they make for good family pets.

The Brussels Griffon is a delightful breed that's curious, adorable, small, mischievous, and great with children and pets alike. They do enjoy some exercise and are really keen canines!

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About Me

I'm Lucy, a Cockapoo. A Cockapoo is a mix of the Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle. I live with 4 Cats named Madison, Mojo, Flanders, and Mocha. I also live with two geckoes named Phoenix and Sahara, and a hamster named Chester. I hate Ear Infection Medicine. I like going on long walks and I'm happy to have an amazing home.

Rare Breeds: Corded Poodle

Poodles are very popular dog breeds, but there is a rare variety of the poodle with a "corded" coat. These dreadlocks are really beautiful, and are on other dog breeds such as the Komondor, Puli, Bergamasco, and the Spanish Water Dog. There are only a handful of them left, so you'll be lucky if you can find one today. The Corded is just as beautiful as it is rare.

The World's Dogs

Lucy has created a blog that depicts information about different dog breeds in each post. Hope you all like it!

Followers

The Dog Family: Fennec Fox

Foxes are part of the dog family. Known for their big ears, Fennec Foxes are the smallest, most social fox ever known. Unless it is outlawed to, you can purchase and domesticate a Fennec Fox!

Amazing Dog Records

-Greyhounds are the world's fastest breed at top speeds of 35-40 miles per hour, (see breed post for more info.)

-The first dog to ever be cloned is an Afghan Hound named Buddy.

-Labs are the most popular breed according to AKC, while Yorkies are the most popular small dog.

-Dachshunds are the most celebrated dog breed, as they are involved in several traditions.

-Border Collies are smarter than any other dog breed, and they are the most intelligent dog breed.

-Airedales are the largest terriers, weighing 50-60 pounds!

-A Border Collie named Sweet Pea has balanced a full glass of water on her snout while walking up and down 4-5 staircases. That is actually a record!

-The fastest spaniel is the English Springer Spaniel, who can run very fast due to a special gait.

Important Reminder:

Dogs in general may vary from the post information, so do your work if you consider adapting a dog. Thanks for understanding.

Top 10 Dog Breeds Lists:

This will show what the top 10 smartest, most affectionate, best guarding, most popular dogs. The dog at the top is the best on the list. 10 is not the top tenth. Just remember: this isn't a countdown.Top 10 Smartest dogs:1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Sheltie
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Unique Dog Sports

If you're a human, and you're bored, you might decide to do a sport that you like, such as basketball or soccer or golf. But if you're a dog, you may have different options. Here are some of them:

-Due to the large amount of speed that they possess, there is a sport customized just for the Greyhound breed. It's the same thing as sprinting races, but instead of people, it's greyhounds. But this sport is illegal in some places. These places' goverments fear that greyhounds may accidently colide together, hurting each other badly. But where the sport is legal, certain Greyhounds do their best efforts to get the gold!

-One sport that is no longer legal is dog fighting, a sport where 2 dogs try to bring each other down. Some breeds such as Shar Pei and Tosas were bred to be good at this sport. It is very bloody, and therefore, currently banned today.

-If you're a Bulldog, then Bull Baiting would've been a great sport to do. It's when a Bulldog tries to fight a bull. Bulldogs were bred to do this, so they are less likely to get severely wounded. But for safety reasons, bull baiting is outlawed today just like dog fighting is.

-One sport that is legal everywhere, even today, that is open for all breeds is the agility sport. It's when dogs try to run through a special agility course. There, they'll do things like going through tunnels, jumping through hoops and threading between thread sticks. Many dogs will do it, and they'll be timed. The dog with the quickest time wins.

Dog sports may be bloody, violent, speedy, and "obstacle course-ish," but think of it as a blessing. If you have to play a sport you just don't wanna play, be thankful you don't have to fight someone else, or bring down a male cow, or have to go through tunnels, or race against your own kind, and possibly get injured. Well, at least the dogs have advantages, too, so they'll probably be thankful that they don't have to punch each other in boxing. (No offense, Boxers.)